Blue Sub No 6: The Year After, Part 1
by Shane Ward
Summary: Ao no 6-gou: This story takes place one year after the war with Zorndyke's creations. With the world flooded a new plan is in effect to restore the world, a Four part Series.
1. Chapter 1, Recovery

Chapter beta read by: **akiqueen - **Wonderful help, thank you.

Story updated on: - **23/10/2009**

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**Please note: -** This story is also available from my website as a PDF download. Check out my **profile** for my website link and look for the PDF logo. Enjoy.

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**Declaration of the story to all readers**

Information provided in this story does not tell the real outcome of the main story or impose the change either; it is just fan-fiction for fun. Technical terms and ideas may not follow the same principal of the TV Series and some differences may arise.

This story does not infringe the rights of the real actors or any member of the staff that produced the show and neither does it infringe copyright. By reading the text you take full responsibility of your actions, and the author of the story has no liability of damage or problems with person or persons involved.

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**Copyright Info**

Bla, who ever reads it anyway... All I'm saying is, if you like the story and want to copy it, then you are free to do so, if by some flick someone decides to use the idea for a TV Episode or anime (Wishful thinking, but it must be covered) all that I ask is I be informed by E-mail. It will give me a heart attack if I see my name on the screen when I watch that episode if it ever happens :D

You can do what you want with this story; copy it, ship it, print it in a book or use parts of it; hell, send it to the other end of the world. I do not mind, just make sure you place credit where credit is due.

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**Note From The Author: - (Shane Ward)**

Thanks for reading my fist anime Fan-Fiction, though I am no writer, just someone that plays games, makes levels and watches Sci-Fi shows. I hope this story keeps you on the edge of your seat and drooling over the keyboard J

If you have any comments or like the work I have done, feel free to E-mail me on my E-mail address in my profile page.

There will be errors in spelling and grammar; everything possible will be done to make the spelling less noticeable and as long as you can read it and understand the story, it will be fine with me. Some words might be used to replace other words I cannot spell that might make the sentence a little odd. I'm sorry for this. I will try my best to fix this. There is an offer for beta readers if anyone is willing to help me.

Please note that some aspects of this story will be out of mind and not follow the normal steps of a story, also some parts of this story might be hard to swallow. But please continue with it.

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**Chapter 1** (Recovery)

It's been one year since the massive battle that took place in Antarctica. As fast as Zorndyke's creations came, they vanished entrusting the final fight being between Hayami and Verg.

The way it ended was unbelievable and the thought still lurks in the minds of all the people that were involved, especially Hayami. He had the sneaky suspicion that something will flare up soon but how, when and who will start the war was still a mystery to him. He often wondered, as does many other people, 'Where are they? Are they still out in the deep blue sea?'

Hayami stood on the balcony of the high-rise building and looked over at the clear blue sea. A mist began to settle in on the ocean surface that removed the suns reflection from the surface of the calm sea. Holding a cigarette in his hand he takes generous strides of smoke, thinking about the mess, that has happened during his un-eventful year.

The city can still be seen under the water, but with no attacks it was allowed to develop into something; roads built on pillars and buildings renewed, it offered a sense of hope and prosperity.

A cool wind breezed through Hayami's hair, offering a cleaning sensation and triggered a few long lost memories.

Deep in the mist of his mind he still has the recurring thought from time to time about the unsightly events that took place at Antarctica. The young aquatic hybrid girl, Mutio, plays on his mind from time to time, the image of her being taken away by Verg portraying a sense of shock and anger. "Why did she do that?" he questions himself.

This puts a whole new meaning to -beauty and the beast- but as soon as they disappeared they have not been seen since.

"This is just crazy!" he reassures himself pulling another cigarette from the pack.

He looked over the horizon to see an approaching object in the sea. The shear size draw his attention and it was clearly something he has not seen before. "What is that?" he says to himself. "Could it be another attack? Why? And after all this time?"

"That's the British!" A dark and deep voice bellows from the background of his room.

Hayami turned to the voice in a defensive position and replied, "What?"

"The great English invasion." A man states coming closer and revealing his sharp mysterious look towards Hayami.

"Who are you?" Hayami questions as he leers at him from a distance.

The silent figure just stood there, looking back; his long, black coat portrayed the sense of secrets and this slowly began to play on Hayami's mind.

Hayami was not in the mood for games, so he repeats the question, changing his tone, "Who the hell are you?"

The dark figure pulls out a note and places it on the table opposite Hayami. "Your help is wanted. If you accept, you can follow the instructions on the letter. Good day!"

The figure then disappeared into the unlit entrance as Hayami slightly chases him before looking at the pale white envelope on his desk mixed with a pile of magazines and notes.

-o-

Outside the building the strange character gets into his car parked on the roof of a makeshift car park next to the main building.

"Do you think he will take the job?" said the driver.

"I do not know; he's a mess. Why do they want him?" the mysterious person said adding a slight sarcastic tone to his voice.

Hayami turned and looked through the window towards the mysterious object, which seemed to have docked at the port. Sure enough, he could see it's a massive submarine, but its something he'd never seen before.

"No danger!" he said to himself showing some relief.

The glow of the letter that reflected the suns rays drew Hayami's attention to it. The mystery, a job, could be something he can get his teeth into. So with a slight grin on his face, he decided to take a look.

-o-

Down on the port, a crowd of people began to linger around as they all tried to take a look at this new and wonderful vessel that is parked in their dock. Even the basic bystander going about his everyday chores had to take a look.

Unfortunately the crew of the boat, especially the captain, did not welcome this crowd.

"Great!" He said in his English language, "This is supposed to be a secret mission; what the hell is all this? These damn Japs can never get the orders correct. I hate this bloody part of the world!" He said, getting down from the deck of his sub.

He a young captain called Jake. By surviving the war with Zorndyke's creations he has earned his post throughout his years of service with the British fleet. He earned his role in being one of the captains of the great 'Deep Sea Six', one of the new advanced British deep-sea submarines in service.

His personality is basic for a person who is twenty-six years old and has witnessed a lot of horrible things. He gets on well with his crew, but he doesn't like being messed around with.

During his sea career he came in contact with some of Zorndyke's creatures that scared the hell out of him. It mostly ended up with them being killed; however, the rumour of the aquatic hybrid girls that pilot some of the machines is something that dramatically attracted his attention. He always wanted to see one, like the mermaids of the sea, but since nothing has been heard for over a year this fascination got lost in time.

"Hey! The great English invasion!" a crowd member shouted out in English towards them. However it sounded more like 'JapLish.'

The captain turns his head and looks at the crowd, but the culprit could not be seen. Just a wave of children and people crowded over each other.

Then a familiar voice of a girl bellowed out over all of the noise.

"Don't mind them, we do not see a lot of British ships in this part of the world," said Mayumi Kino, walking down the dock in her typical military uniform.

"Who are you?" asked the captain in a not-so-impressed tone.

Kino then removed her hat displaying her unaltered short red hair, and replied in English "I am Mayumi Kino. I have been ordered to assist you in this mission."

"And your name, captain?" she quickly and abruptly asked, not giving the captain time to speak.

"I am Jake, Jake McClain. I am the captain of the Deep Sea Six." He said as he looked for her name on the clipboard.

"Deep Sea Six?" Kino questioned as she looked at the hull of the boat with the slight ghostly feeling to it.

Then one of the crew stepped up from the sub to give the captain a cup of tea, which is an English tradition, however Jake likes his cup of tea and it has nothing to do with tradition.

"OK, you are on my list, welcome aboard. We still have one more person to come." Said Jake, taking a few final looks at his notebook.

-o-

Hayami stood in his room, looking at the note. "Damn English always secret about their jobs. So, do I want to go?" he said to himself.

He turned his head and looked towards the ocean, some kind of force kept pulling him in. He often felt the force of the ocean pulling him in but to what end? Perhaps he was born to be in the ocean or perhaps it's Mutio?

He often looked for a chance to go back to sea on a job and perhaps to run into her sometime, but so far the jobs he managed to get were small and nothing interesting. However, this note might prove to be a key.

Mutio's image started to become a distant memory. The prospect of moving on with his life started to become a reality, and no sign of Zorndyke's creations has been seen in over one year. Sometimes he would question if it was all a dream. But when he looks out of the window and sees the city under the water, he realises it's not.

He smiles as he places the note on the desk. "OK, What the hell!"

He grabs his jacket from the floor as he walked out the poorly lit entrance to his room on his way to the docks.

-o-

An hour passed and the crowd on the dock slowly began to dissipate, as the sub that was once interesting became a standard part of the port, people had their own lives to deal with left the scene.

The loading and unloading of supplies finished with the last of the crew standing on the deck, waiting for the last person to come.

"Who are you waiting for?" Kino asked stepping onto the deck, getting ready to enter the sub.

The swirls of the sea and the sounds of air jets coming from the sub were interrupted by someone talking.

"They are waiting for me!" Hayami walked down the wooden dock with his black jacket swaying from side to side, his posture portraying his confidence and seniority.

Kino's eyes opened wide as she saw him walking towards her; she almost jumped up with joy, but she ran towards Hayami giving him a huge hug, changing his persona from a strong and unstoppable person to a small, squishy toy.

He spoke with a sarcastic tone as he tried to push her off.

"You... Yu... You are cutting my air" Hayami said, gasping for air as Kino held on to him tightly because she has not seen him since the last war.

The captain, Jake, looked at them with a slight hint of annoyance. "God, who did they give us?" He then raised his voice and shouted at them "Hey! You two going to get a move on? We have a meeting to go to!"

Kino soon released his tight grip on Hayami and they proceeded into the sub.

-o-

When they entered the docking port of the submarine, they could not help but notice how different it looked; not like your typical sub. The hallways were lit by florescent lights and metal bulkheads and pipes aligned the walls, all giving it the "submarine look." However, when they arrived at the control centre, it was not what they expected. The control deck was massive and very spacious, each section controlled by it's own workstation with a large window in the front, displaying the ocean. The inner walls of the sub had water windows, which looked like passages filled with water and computer screens all around.

As Hayami walked in, he dropped his cigarette onto the floor with shock at the impressive view before him.

"The English have been busy!" he said, speaking fluent English.

"Well you know the English; they're the kings of the sea." Said Jake, looking pleased at their reactions to his sub.

Then Kino interrupted with an abrupt comment, "What happened to the English when Zorndyke's creations attacked the world?"

Jake snapped back at her and said, "We had our own problems; we lost our-land and all it's left are cities floating on the ocean."

An argument was about to flame, but Hayami broke it up and demanded to know what the whole situation was about.

"I haven't been informed too; for some strange reason they have called for all the good pilots they can find and I have been ordered to taxi you all to the underwater facility for a meeting. I have no idea after that." Jake stating this fact to Hayami who stood in the entrance, blocking the way.

"There is no smoking here!" Jake added as he spotted Hayami pulling out a cigarette, as he always seemed to do.

"Let's go. Activate all engines and head for the Blue Base!" Jake ordered.

"Yes captain, engaging caterpillar drives one through six, preparing to dive, flooding ballast tanks, close all steam ways, all hands prepare to departure." The voices in the background said as everyone prepared to get all the functions of the ship ready for departure.

The submarine, which is the size of an ocean liner, then began to sink gracefully into the water, leaving a hissing, misty cloud of water in the air as it disappeared out of sight.

Moving out of the dock, all other ships had to halt and allow the massive submarine to leave the dock.

The sudden spinning in place made any new people slightly lose balance before getting their bearings on what is happening.

One of the crew, who is Japanese and at her console, started to complain that the writing was all in English and she did not understand what it said. One of the other crewmembers sitting next to her typed a few commands into the console and changed all the writing to Japanese.

This was just a few problems the two crews of Japanese and English had to face while undertaking this voyage.


	2. Chapter 2, Journey

Story updated on: - **24/05/2010**  
Proofread and Edited by **Bojack727**  
Beta read by: **akiqueen**

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****Chapter 2** (Journey)

There was something in the air telling the two crews to get along, regardless of their differences. Despite their world being damaged by racial hate and wars, both must work together in order to resolve the problems they would eventually face in the future.

While the crew accepted each other and eventually settled down, Hayami sat silently in his quarters, casually skimming the pages of a magazine of a nature that should not be read in polite company.

He took a few puffs from his cigarette and blew out a lazy jet of smoke. There was a point to these indulgences; it was all to help him relax during the voyage to Blue Base, which should take a few hours.

From his point of view, the trip to blue base should be easy and boring, so he decided to take another puff from his cigarette, making the effort to blow out smoke patterns. The caterpillar engines of the submarine kept humming steadily in the background

He glanced toward the bulkhead that was aligned with aqua tunnel windows. He wondered why the tunnels lined the walls of the ship with lighting inside. Still, the motion of the water imparted a strange effect as the light shone through it. It was as if he was under water. Truthfully, he didn't mind the deep-sea feeling it lent to his quarters.

The combination of the patterns on the dark wall opposite the windows and the aquatic feel brought back memories buried deep in his mind from a year ago. It was the feeling of floating in the ocean and utter helplessness when the Blue Dome base was destroyed, then the sudden rescue by Mutio. This then prompted him to take a glance at his arm where she'd bitten him. There was a faint scar that would always remind him of the most life-changing event in his life.

Hayami felt a strange paralysis as he recalled the ordeal. He remembered being enveloped in the oddly womb-like membrane that Mutio had created to keep him alive. He understood so little about the beast folk. Yet he knew it was somehow part of her. He could sense her warmth and the beat of her heart. At the time, the little hybrid had seemed too sweet and innocent as she protected him. Her purity was the shield protecting him from the hostility of the ocean.

Then he shivered, feeling a tremor of anger as his memory suddenly changed to that of her being taken away after his 'fight' with Verg. His bitter mood and burning thought was suddenly interrupted by a knock on his door.

Hayami looked up at the dark steel frame; the handle in the middle helped to refocused his eyes. He tried his best to envision who was on the other side. However, deep down, he knew that it could only be one person. _Kino._

"What is it?" he said impassively while chewing on the end of his cigarette. He promptly flipped another page in his magazine.

The handle turned and Kino appeared, dressed in her form-fitting Grampus uniform. Her expression and body language was conflicting as she approached him. He inwardly sighed as he spotted the same romantic look she had for him over a year ago.

Through some twist of fate, Kino had ended up discovering old feelings for him. It was a crush, though she didn't like to call it that because it sounded so childish. After the incident with Zorndyke, they both went their separate ways and never saw each other until now. But while she hadn't pursued her feelings before, she felt that fate had given her a second chance, a chance to correct the mistake she had made a year ago.

However a deep burning thought still lingered in her mind. Part of her knew that Hayami was secretly longing for someone else. To Kino, this sort of longing was foolish, only helping to remind her of what a fool she thought him to be.

Hayami took a deep breath as he looked at her. He noted her youthful, round features and cheerful expression. No matter how much time had passed, he still found himself unable to shake off her tomboyish persona - especially with her cropped red hair. He resisted the urge to say _shouldn't you change that hairstyle?_

He lowered the magazine. "What do you want?"

Her expression soured at his bluntness. "Why are you lounging in your quarters all by yourself?" She asked. "You know you need to get out there and help with things. Something big is happening and we need to be ready," Kino reprimanded, snatching the magazine from his hands and trying her best not to comment on the strange stuffy smell in the room.

She looked at a few pages before placing the book in the bin with a look of disgust in her face.

-o-

Meanwhile on an island in an unknown area of the sea, Verg was up to his old tricks again with the pool of aquatic females. He stomped on the plated floor, prompting a flurry of pale yellow and white hybrids to flee in all directions.

Mutio calmly floated on the surface of the water, cradling an injured fellow hybrid. As she looked down and took in the sight of her battered figure, she felt a sudden rush of resentment and anger. She felt betrayed - by her own kind, no less!

Mutio's friend was the newest addition to the female clan. The beast men wanted to use her for their sick and abnormal habits. But the young female had resisted, shocking everyone as she refused to submit to her fate. This act of defiance brought her to the attention of Verg, who became extremely angry and punished her.

Mutio felt very sorry for her and tried her best to protect her. She tried everything from feeding to hiding. However, this became pointless as her other sisters told Verg about her efforts.

"Your sister has betrayed us again and again, Mutio!" Verg shouted, his grating, mechanical tone echoing throughout the chamber. Mutio thought about how he seemed like a spoiled child.

"Why do you betray us again? You know your place and yet you stand by your sister. Mutio? WHY?" Demanded the inhuman voice. "Well, because of your constant defiance you can be banished with her!"

He walked closer to the aqua pool. "Sisters, banish them from this island and make sure they cannot come back. They do not deserve to live!"

Mutio sunk her head into the water with her silvery, flowing, blue hair following after the wake dissipated. She sunk under the water, supporting her hybrid friend. They swam out into ocean, only to swim as fast as they could when their 'sisters' began chasing them.

Her friend's sky-blue eyes became tired from swimming and tired from living. She had endured all the torment and beatings, so running away was the only option. But where could they go? She felt very guilty for bringing Mutio into the mix, although she always seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble herself.

-o-

Jake sat in his chair on the control deck, studying some readings on a stack of papers one of the crewmembers had given him.

The atmosphere remained steady with the talking and idle sounds of people and machines all around them. The cranking and clicking of the bulkheads did not arouse a twitch from Jake as he continued to check the readings on his reports.

"Captain, we're picking up a large congregation of life forms dead ahead!" exclaimed the sonar operator.

"How many?" Jake asked, not faulting from his report.

"A few hundred. Correction, instruments now reckon there is an excess of one thousand, sir!" he replied. "Furthermore, at our current course trajectory, we'll intercept them in a just a few minutes," he added somewhat nervously.

"Do we have any identification?" Jake questioned as he lifted his head in the direction of the sonar operator with a slight interest.

He shook his head. "No. It seems it might be dolphins or some other relatively large creatures," replied the crewman as he confirmed the readout on his instruments.

Jake then returned his interest to the documents and droned out a few more commands "Very well. Instruct the Engine Room to decrease output." He instructed the helm crew. "I want all outer water vents closed and all caterpillars drives shut down. Switch to alternate drive." Jake finished, his tone changing slightly while saying the next sentence. "No, point in mindlessly ploughing through them and killing the marine life."

The massive submarines engines promptly stopped moving and the back end of the hull lit up as the alternate engines kicked in. The ship began effectively gliding through the water. The submarine moved slowly through the swimming creatures, trying its best not to harm them. However, one of the water vents failed to close and two creatures just managed to sneak into the aqua tunnels on the ship before a jolt closed it behind them.

Jake looked on at the large port window, only seeing the menacing black depths of the ocean. "Activate the spotlights. Let's take a look." He instructed calmly.

As soon as the lights went on, a sudden rush of movement opened up the deep blue sea and nothing was in view.

"Must have been dolphins, I guess. They like to follow ships this big," said the sonar operator, taking a glance at the window.

"OK, once they are out of range, return to full speed," said Jake, putting the documents onto the table next to his chair.

"I'm going out for a while," Jake announced, getting to his feet. "Let me know if anything happens!" he left the control deck.

-o-

"It's that _thing_ again, isn't it?"

Kino had uttered the biting remark, her voice dripping with anger as she glared at Hayami, who, for his part, remained seated on his bed.

"You're the one that said it, not me!" Hayami responded in kind with a wave of his hand, pressing hard on the cigarette between his fingers.

"Damn it, Hayami, and damn _you_. You're such an idiot! When are _you_ going to realize that she's gone? She's not coming back and you need to just forget about her." Kino raged, generating a surprising level of fury from her small form as things became increasingly personal.

Hayami stood up and walked towards the internal aqua tunnel window. He stared deep into the water with pressing questions on his mind. Being back in the ocean brought back more questions and desires; he might as well have stayed in his room on land - if he could call it that - _why did I decide to come?_

Rapidly calming down, Kino approached him and embraced him from behind. "Do you still have the dreams?" she asked in a more compassionate tone than before.

Hayami inhaled sharply, in reaction to both her touch and the question. "Not as much as I used to," he replied. "The more time passes by, the more I forget. Then the nightmare starts!" he admitted in a pained voice.

She sighed and shook her head. "You need to forget about her," she began. "I care for you Hayami, I really do. Will you try and forget, for me?" Kino asked, getting a little ahead of herself.

Hayami turned and looked at her. In a gesture that seemed cold even to him, he pushed her away. Deep down, Hayami knew he couldn't return her feelings for him. Still, she was right about one thing: perhaps it was time for him to move on.

-o-

Jake walked through the corridors of the sub, being greeted by all the Japanese crewmembers that could not resist testing their newfound language skills. This pissed him off more than ever. _Damn, bloody Japanese, why can't they use the computer to talk?_ he thought to himself.

Marching past the officer's quarters, the engineer interrupted him in mid-stride.

"Ha! Captain, water vent number four is having problems closing. It might need repairs once we approach blue base. It's probably just too much seawater in corridors in the ship." He informed him hastily.

Jake looked at the figures on a notepad passed to him by the engineer. "OK, it will be passed on." He continued, tempting fate by muttering out loud, "What else can go wrong?"

Marching off with the notepad in his hand, Jake mumbled to himself. _Those boys at New London should have done their jobs properly. However, being British, they always get the job half-done and leave the rest for the crew to fix. And I don't have a full crew. What a lovely day I am having!_


	3. Chapter 3, Downfall

Chapter beta read by: **akiqueen**  
Story updated on: - **31/10/2009**

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**Chapter 3** (Downfall)

The vessel glided through the water at high speed, displacing the water around the hull and creating a harmonious effect around and behind the vessel. The turbines displaced the water in a flare of waves behind each wing as the boat travelled along at high speed; the new crew did all they could to settle down in their new environment, no matter how interesting and exciting it was.

Down in the 'Grub Room' (As the crew like to call it) a few members of the crew looked at some kind of Japanese food laid out for them on plates.

They leered at it, with faint whispers and chants of, "What the hell do I do with it?" And "I hope it's dead!"

The English crew all looked and pondered; they never had the chance to experience eastern food before, so having this opportunity alienated them a bit.

Jake walked in and this prompted everyone's attention; the room soon went silent as everyone looked at their commander standing there looking around. A few people standing close to him stood up with the rest of the crew following suit. "A new crew always acts so, over the top." Jake thought to himself as he could clearly see the old from the new.

After a few moments he settled everyone down and the room slowly began to fill with chatter and the clattering of cutlery.

"Is everything OK?" he said, instantly knowing that he's asking a stupid question by the looks on his crew's faces and the semi-moving food on their plates.

"Captain, I think the chief forgot to kill my food," one crewmember sarcastically muttered as his meatball hopped of his plate and on the floor.

A small smile crept along his face, "Umm, good luck with that," He hastily said before he escaped from the table, collecting his food.

-o-

One hour passed and the ship continued its relentless motion through the water without running into trouble. The arrow shaped front pierced through the water like a knife through butter and the massive caterpillar turbines in the middle of each wing offered massive pushing power when activated to full strength.

They didn't want to run the engines too hard because they're new. They had plenty of time to reach the blue base.

Someone carrying an organic filter interrupted Jake again. "Jake! Look at this; I pulled this out of Aqua Tunnel passageway filter number three. Look!" he said, shoving the large filter in his face and getting him wet in the process.

From a glance the green filter looked intact, until he looked at it from the bottom and spotted that half of it was missing. The faint smell of salt water and seaweed confirmed that it was an organic filter, prompting Jake to respond, "What happened to this? They are supposed to be very durable and self cleaning."

Then the engineer replied, "Something has eaten it! Look!"

Jake took the filter from the engineer as it became apparent that he was getting a little too excited and the filter was being placed too close to his face. Sure enough, it looked like something had been eating it.

"Not only this one, but several others are damaged too..." The engineer continued.

"These are organic filters made from seaweed and other organic materials." He then carried on in a lower tone. "Very expensive devices. What would do this?"

Jake ordered the engineer to keep the filter and have it taken to the libratory for investigation once they arrive at Blue Base.

Jake resumed his travel down the corridor and found Hayami sat beside the Aqua Tunnel window behind the bulkhead.

"Are you OK?" Jake questioned.

Hayami took a puff from his cigarette and replied, "Yeah, just chilling out. You know how it is; get saved by the ocean and then thrown back."

Jake looked at Hayami with a slightly confused look, it soon came to him that this latest addition to his crew looked damaged in the head and he thought about what he would do. Jake pondered over the decision to allow Hayami to stay or to have him removed at Blue Base. By the look of his Grampus uniform, Jake realised that he did have some importance on this vessel. Suddenly, the entire submarine jolted with a violent force that made everybody fall to the ground and caused serous damage to the ship.

-o-

From the outside, the submarine came too close to a hidden Musuca that was laying on the sea bed. Hearing the human submarine and frightened by its size, the Musuca franticly lifted itself off the ground and tried to escape.

However, as it swam up, the Musuca and submarine collided. The Musuca was struck by the front of the submarine and the weight of the creature then dragged the submarine down, crashing it into the seabed. It then bounced off and smashed into a ledge. This made it come to a complete stop, followed by some rubble falling on top of the vessel.

-o-

All the power on the ship struggled to stay online; the florescent lights throughout the corridors and the Aqua Tunnels kept on flashing. Before long the darkness slowly crept up on the crew.

People scampered around, trying to figure out what had happened and tried in vain to report to their stations.

Jake got off the floor with a little assistance from Hayami, and then to add a new problem into the mix, the emergency doors began to close all around them, trapping them in the section of the corridor.

"Damn, we are stuck. I need to get to the command deck," Jake ordered, looking for another way to bypass the emergency doors.

Hayami stood up and pondered over the strange and hopeless situation, the flashing lights annoyed him a little and he's already suffering from a headache; this situation didn't give Hayami any comfort. "Great, we're going to die down here," Hayami thought to himself as he stood in the corner and watched Jake take the control panel apart.

"I think we are trapped here!" Hayami said, stating the obvious.

Jake gave him a sarcastic look and then turned his attention to the Aqua Tunnels as a means of escape.

"I cannot release the doors because they are controlled by an air locking mechanism; they can only be opened on the control centre," Jake said.

"Just cut the air hose that leads to the mechanism; that should open the door," Hayami explained.

Jake then tried to explain that cutting the air hose would not release the doors because once they were locked the doors were sealed; he then tried to contact the command deck by use of an ear piece that everyone carried.

After no response he calculated that the internal communication system was down and with no way to communicate with the control centre, he was now in the dark as to the amount of damage his ship sustained.

The sound of cracking bulkheads and pressure on the hull could be heard echoing throughout the sub. The lights flashed on and off at different intervals with the clicking of the florescent starters. When the main corridor lights flashed off, the lights behind the Aqua Tunnels would flash on, changing the feel in the main corridor to a yellow and blue atmosphere because of the seawater filtering the light.

Hayami could not help but smoke a fresh new cigarette as he pondered over the hopeless situation they were currently in. His feelings for the whole mission and life varied from not much to not caring at all. But like all seamen, he stood up to the challenge.

"Those things will kill you!" said Jake, as he looked at him smoking and trying to ignore the smell of the smoke. He had more important things to do like opening the Aqua Tunnel hatch connected to the corridor.

"What is that anyway?" Hayami questioned, looking at the Aqua Tunnel.

"What? This?" Jake questioned before carrying on after Hayami nodded, "It's a Aqua Tunnel, they are interconnected all over the ship; they allow the flow of water for the environmental systems and act as a cooling agent among other things. Very efficient."

He then lifted the hatch and poked his head inside, standing over the windows which viewed the area under the water.

The Aqua Tunnel was just big enough for someone to comfortably stand in half filled with water. The windows that connected them to the main corridors only viewed the space under the water and didn't view the open space above.

The walls were coloured cream yellow with florescent lights all the way down the middle; however, due to the damage to the vessel, they're flashing on and off.

Jake turned his head in both directions as he looked down at each side of the Aqua Tunnel. The spooky feeling of it crept into his mind as looked into the darkness with the lights flashing all the way down. The Aqua Tunnel looked long and going in was inevitable.

"Look's like we will be going for a swim," Jake said slowly getting into the warm water after taking his jacket and shirt off.

"Am I going in there?" Hayami questioned.

Jake looked at him before he said, "Well, you can stay here if you like! I'm only going to the command deck. These Aqua Tunnels are sealed in a different manner and it looks like the doors are open."

He then leaned over the side and told Hayami, "Quick, hand me that flashlight attached to the wall."

Hayami walked over and pulled the long black flashlight from the wall and handed it to him, taking more puffs from his cigarette.

"Are you coming?" Jake asked looking at him, feeling a little irritated with his clothes being all wet and heavy.

"I think I'll wait here!" Hayami muttered. He's not really interested in 'taking a swim' and the last thing he wanted to do was get all his cigarettes wet.

"Fine! Suit yourself," Jake spat as he disappeared into the Aqua Tunnel leaving Hayami behind.


	4. Chapter 4, IT!

Story updated on: - **06/12/2009**  
Chapter beta read by: **akiqueen – **More better than expected. Thanks

**Note: - This chapter might be slightly scary for young people with good imaginations. Take care.**

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**Chapter 4** (IT!)

Jake felt uneasy drifting down the dark, flickering aqua tunnel; any normal person doing this task would feel the same way. However, he had no choice, because getting to the control centre was the most important task to do in order to figure out what had happened and their current situation.

How badly damaged the boat was played on his mind; this thing cost a lot of money to build and it took a long time for his father's plans to be realised. It was his father who designed this class of submarine and it had been his vision to see it put to sea. However, he was killed before he had the chance to see his dream become reality.

The submarine didn't seem too badly damaged from the aqua tunnels. As Jake bobbed his head under the water from time to time, he could see that the general corridors were intact and no real damage could be seen. Swimming in the normal front stroke made his journey faster. However, not even the best swimmer could keep up the pace for a prolonged period of time.

Jake swam along the aqua tunnels almost three times a week and knew most of them by heart. More like a hobby, it's a way to get out of the hassles of commanding a boat this size. The advantage of swimming in the aqua tunnels as that no one in their right mind would bother to look for Jake or disturb him down there. There was no fear of getting trapped because there's always air above. The filters always cleaned the water and the systems attached to the aqua tunnels kept the water at a comfortable temperature, as this was a means to cool all of the systems.

However, the flashing lights and the sudden darkness kept disorienting Jake, causing him to loose his bearings.

The florescent lights kept on flashing all the way down the aqua tunnel because the power grid kept having power drops at intermittent times. The sound of clicking filled the air as the lights struggled to stay on.

The water stood very still; there wasn't a ripple of water except for the one caused by Jake slowly skimming through the tunnel. The saltwater smell gave the sense of a sea-dwelling place and normally a peace of mind.

The ripples bounced of the walls and reflected back towards him before travailing all the way down the aqua tunnel.

He kept coming across turns and junctions. The aqua tunnels were as big as the ship's corridors. Sometimes Jake would ponder, "Why did my farther make such big passages?" The answer would remain a mystery, and it died with him.

He glided along the top of the water with most of his body submerged as he used his feet to push himself along. He then thought about Hayami. "What's his problem? Why is he such a stubborn asshole?" His first impression of him was not good, his behaviour was not much to be desired, and his constant smoking put him off. Luckily, the water was able to dilute and cleanse the smell of cigarettes from his clothes and the fresh smell of the water made his nose clear up.

A burning sensation started to creep up on the back of his neck, something like 'eyes watching'.

Jake looked around behind himself, feeling a little spooked. The long corridor beside him got smaller and smaller the further down he looked. The flashing lights couldn't light up the cold darkness down at the farthest end of the aqua tunnel.

Jake stopped and made no sound. His breathing almost came to a complete stop; he could feel something watching him and his human intuition was eating at him. 'Something is down here with me!'

He looked very hard into the black, flashing distance as the grey, creamy walls all merged into one. The clicks and flashes offered no reassurance. However, his mind registered and knew what each sound belonged to. The clicking was the lights; the sound of ripples was the water moving as he moved his hands and body, the dark bellowing sound was the sound of the boat's systems.

He could hear the sound of his heart and feel its strong beating and the flow of air going into his lungs. The feeling of all his blood rushing through his body became almost adamant as he concentrated on his feeling of being watched.

Nothing could be seen; the water all the way down the passageway stood very still without the slightest ripple. This reassured Jake that everything seems to be okay and he decided to move on.

His stomach made a small rumble, which made him jump. "Easy there, Jake!" he reassured himself. "It's just me! No one here but me! You are OK! You swim these areas all the time. No monsters!"

He decided to glide through the aqua tunnels again after the burning sensation disappeared. "Man, why did I watch that movie 'Alien'?" Jake jokingly said to himself, a few flashbacks from the movie giving Jake a slight tremor in his legs.

He looked at the junction wall that displayed a few numbers on it. "Umm, Aqua tunnel X2 887, and Aqua tunnel X2 888; I wonder if I am going the right way?"

Suddenly, he felt the burning sensation again and this was not a good place to be in. Because before, he could look ahead and behind. When he looked behind on the first occasion, a corner offered a sense of security since nothing could sneak up on him and only the corridor in front needed to be watched. Now he's located at a cross section with three long passageways and one short one that he could clearly see.

The long passageways stretched as far as the eye could see and, to make matters worse, one of the passageways had lost all lighting at the very end. However, this was not the time for the captain to get scared; he's the captain, after all.

Again, the whole area was quiet and the only sounds he could hear were the clicking of florescent starters and the beating of his own heart. No other sound could be heard; not even the ship made any sound, which seemed a little bit strange.

He turned his flashlight on to see the dark area in one of the aqua tunnels. But the power of the torch was not strong enough to reach that far.

Jake looked and felt very small in a world of darkness. He jolted his leg slightly and took a step back, creating some soft movements that caused ripples in the water and that echoed a soft, splashing sound.

Jake watched as the ripples travelled down the three corridors. The ripples travelled down and disappeared into the corridor that had the failed lights right at the end.

Something went _splash_! He did not make it; nothing should be down there with him. What caused it?

His head quickly turned around to the direction of the splash; he knew exactly where the sound came from: the corridor with the failed lights at the end.

The sound put the fright of god into Jake, as he looked with his eyes wide open; he was not alone. What was in there with him?

His heart started to beat very fast and hard, the shear power of it caused small waves in the water. His mind went into overdrive, thinking what this could be. The splash was very faint and right at the end of the aqua tunnel in the darkness. What the hell was it?

He walked back from the creepy corridor and his ears listened for any sound that did not match the activities in the aqua tunnel. Perhaps he was dreaming the splash. No, wait, he didn't dream it; it was as clear as crystal.

Moving back, he couldn't see anything off in the distance of the dark corridor filled with water. And then the memory came back to him.

"Something has been eating the filters," he said to himself, getting even more frightened.

_Slosh. _It was very light, but the sound was clearly heard through the water and Jake's eyes nearly popped out of his head; that was it. Something IS in there with him; the lights flashed and disorientated him. He could swear that the sound was even closer.

For a moment, he was sure that he saw something blue in the darkness, 'like eyes watching'. This changed when there was a massive splash in a very close proximity to him; this was the point that the 'fight or flight' aspect in human survival came into action and, spotting something in the darkness, he panicked and jumped back into the water, covering his head. He was unable to regulate his breathing and he almost breathed in water and drowned. He got back up and began franticly swimming as fast as he could in any direction, trying to get away from it.

The sound of his own splashing made it harder for Jake to hear what was approaching. As he swam further, he stopped and tried to gain his bearings. He looked completely lost! Then it happened.

The florescent lights just went off! And they did not come back on. No clicking of the starters, no sounds of the ship, just the sound of his panicking heart.

Jake froze as he heard a very faint splash beside him, as if something had come out of the water.

It was beside him. And not only this; breathing could be heard. He could feel the air particles moving behind his neck. He damn well knew that something was beside him.

He could not help it. His human curiosity just could not resist the same old saying, "DON'T LOOK BACK!" Even this could not overcome the curiosity of what was behind him. The sweat started to drop off his face and his breathing became very erratic and fast. His head turned slowly to see it.

Nothing! It was too dark. Very dark! Not even his hand could be seen.

Then FLASH!

The electric junction box in the main corridor beside the aqua tunnel blew out, illuminating the whole area and the aqua tunnel with it. In the brief blue light he saw it.

It scared the hell out of him because he couldn't see much, just piercing blue eyes, razor sharp teeth, and the outline of a face with flowing hair. The creature saw Jake and grabbed him by the neck and threw him in the water. Jake struggled with it for a few moments before he tried to get away. He then felt a sharp pain on his chest as something bit him several times.

Jake leapt out of the water several times trying to get away from it, but it kept on attacking him. Another flash showed the razor sharp teeth coming for him again. Jake leapt so hard at the hatch he was under the whole thing snapped open, giving him the opportunity to escape. He leapt out through the hatch and fell through the ceiling and onto the metal plating in the main corridor.

Then the backup power generators came online, activating all the lights up in the passageways and aqua tunnels, but nothing was there.

Kino came out of her quarters to investigate the massive disturbance and discovered Jake sitting on the floor, pointing at the aqua tunnel hatch through the ceiling with a ghostly, white look in his face.

"There's something in there!" he said before moving slightly.

He sat up beside the bulkhead of the wall, attending to his bite marks, which had bled all down his white t-shirt.

All wet, he looked at the aqua tunnel window and in the direction of the broken ceiling, wondering what the hell it was. He was relieved that the lights came back on and the creature did not follow him.


	5. Chapter 5, Online

Chapter beta read by: **akiqueen - **Wonderful help, thank you.

Story updated on: - **23/10/2009**

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****Chapter 5** (Online)

Shallow voices could be heard in the blackness: voices of a child talking about a book, something strange. Slight pausing and chatting. He cannot work out the words; however, it sounded like a young girl talking.

Then, a more powerful voice echoed over the smaller one. "She is looking for you!" This made Jake jump out of his sudden black out.

With a jolt, he woke up in Kino's arms.

"Err, what are you doing?" Jake asked looking at her in a strange and questionable way.

Kino immediately knew what she was doing. Holding the captain's head in her lap was something a crewmember shouldn't do. Realising this, she made another mistake.

Jumping up and saying sorry was not the highlight of her day. His head dropped to the floor after she moved, causing more injury to Jake.

"Thanks!" he said sarcastically, rubbing his head and recovering again.

Kino went up to the captain again and apologised. However he smiled at the irony of the whole thing and thought it was funny.

"I am ok, what happened to me? And how long was I out?" Jake said.

Kino looked at the waterway with a huge hole in the ceiling "You jumped out of there looking as white as a ghost and said something was in there."

The memory came back to Jake as he tried to piece together all the information on the recent hours that have passed.

"I think this ship is using battery power; we might not have much time." Jake said, getting up and nursing his new wound on his head, letting the horror that has just happened sink into the deepest part of his mind and trying to forget it.

Hayami walked in after the emergency door sprung open. Holding a screwdriver in his hand, he looked very pleased with himself as the handy man of the blue fleet.

"Typical Hayami!" Kino said to herself as he watched him standing there.

"So captain; it looks like you didn't get very far. Did you get lost on the way?" said Hayami with a slight grin on his face.

Jake walked over to him and looked into his eyes, then walked past saying, "The grub room is down here. I'm hungry"

-o-

A few moments passed and Jake, Kino and Hayami stood in the grub room. Jake decided to take an apple with him before getting the nerve to go through the waterways to the control centre.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" insisted Kino.

"The thing that attacked you might still be there," she added.

Jake went over to a steal box attached to the wall behind the kitchen and opened it with his keys. Inside he got a hold of a handgun. "Don't worry, I'm prepared this time," he said as he closed the cabinet again.

"Kino and Hayami, I need you to take a Grampus out and check the state of the ship. They have cameras onboard and once I get to the control centre I will need them to survey the boat and see if we can repair any damage," Jake said hesitantly, getting back into the waterway.

"Man, why am I going in here again? Especially with that thing in there!" he said to himself, clutching his gun in his hand and placing the apple in his pocket. He carried on muttering after getting into the water.

"Captain, if something attacked you, I should go with you," Hayami said, curious at what attacked him.

"No, I need to do this. I am the captain, just get the Grampus out there!" Jake ordered, drifting down the passage with the wake of water leaving him behind.

Jake carried on with the lights fully lit and the creamy yellow walls reflecting the light off the water. The sounds of the ship lead the way.

-o-

Kino and Hayami managed to find their way to the Grampus bay on the sub; it was, large and holding about six Grampuses.

"Which one do you want?" Hayami jokingly said.

Kino gave him a gentile hit with her elbow before taking the first one. "I am driving this time!" she hastily added.

Hayami had no choice but to obey; once again this little girl had given him orders and they were back to their old routine again.

"This could be dangerous. Kino, you should stay here and wait!" he said with an ambition to get rid of the girl.

"Not this time. I am coming and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Besides the captain told us to go together!" she delivered the last sentence bluntly.

"This Grampus is slightly different, but the controls are similar to the normal ones," she said in an excited tone.

Hayami then hopped into the back, closing the hatch on the Grampus and getting ready to depart.

"Flooding docking bay," Kino said as she instructed the docking computer to flood the docking bay and releasing the Grampus from its shelf.

The Grampus floated gracefully in the water before Kino activated the engines and nearly sent it flying into the bulkhead.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" asked Hayami, making fun of Kino piloting skills.

She gave a little sound of contempt before steering the Grampus out of the docking bay. She accelerated before they reached the outer ocean, causing Hayami to hit his head gently on the back of his cockpit

"You did that deliberately!" he stated to her.

She gave a slight smile as the craft headed to the open ocean to survey the damage to the sub.

Fish swam in the sea behind the dark blue ocean, hiding the submarine from view. Hayami then turned on the main light, which caused the fish to swarm out of the way and into the darkness.

He looked deep into the blue. That recurring voice in his mind just appeared out of nowhere: "All I do is get rescued by the sea!"

Then Kino interrupted his deep thought. "Well the sub looks ok, but this thing is massive. I didn't know the British can build something so big." She then changed her tune when she saw the three massive caterpillar turbines in the middle of the wings. "WOW, look at them, they are huge!" she exclaimed in excitement.

Hayami was slightly impressed. However, he didn't advertise it the way Kino did.

"Can you calm down and drive this ves…." Hayami then stopped mid sentence when he came face to face with the Musuca attached to the front of the hull, apparently knocked unconscious.

"Is it alive?" Kino said, looking in shock at the creature that spanned the entire length of the front section of the vessel.

Its faint movements indicated to Hayami that the creature was alive.

-o-

Jake finally made it back to the command centre. As he struggled out of the water pool located in the corner of the room and out of the way, some of his crew arrived to help him out.

"Are you ok sir?" one of them asked.

"Yes, I was not attacked this time." He then turned and talked to his operations officer. "There's something in the waterways. It attacked me a few minutes ago on my way here. Once we are on our way we need to get rid of it."

"Communications, contact Hayami on the Grampus that is surveying this boat," Jake said as he checked the systems on the sub.

"What's the damage?" Jake said.

"Main caterpillar engines are offline for some reason, backup generators are online, and main power is also offline. We are trapped on the ocean floor and pressure is compacting the main hull. There has also been a collapse of a bulkhead in the main power generating room and part of it has fallen onto the drive shaft. We cannot get power without removing it and they need your help, sir," said the crewman, gathering all the information he could.

"Captain, the main hatch to the command deck is jammed; you will need to go back into the waterways to get to the generator room," the operations officer said.

Jake looked at the hatch and sure enough, a fallen support beam jammed it.

"This is Kino, are you reading me?" Kino's voice said over the COM unit.

"Yes, we are reading you, what have you got?" Jake questioned

"Looks like your boat is in good shape; however you have a Musuca attached to the front of the hull. Do you want us to shoot it off?" Kino said with a slightly happy tone.

"Is it alive?" said Jake.

"Yes!" Kino said not knowing where the conversation was going.

"Then, no. Check the surrounding area and head back. Jake out," said Jake, making it clear by the tone of his voice that the creature was NOT to be killed.

Kino frowned at Jake's decision for not letting her shooting the Musuca. After all, those were the things that have caused so much pain and destruction during the war. Killing this one would give her the utmost pleasure. However, a small nudge from Hayami brought Kino back from the brink of making a mistake she might regret.

Hayami was slightly impressed with Jake's decision; after all, other captains would have probably asked him to blow the damn thing off the hull because of the war they had one year ago. What was one more dead Musuca? But this person 'Jake' was different.


	6. Chapter 6, Beautiful Encounter

Chapter beta read by: **akiqueen**  
Story updated on: - **04/01/2010**

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****Chapter 6** (Beautiful Encounter)

Jake headed for the water pool, the entrance to the aqua tunnels.

Holding the gun in his hand and the bulge of an apple in his pocket made his posture look slightly out of place as he went inside.

He gave some final orders to his crew on the bridge before taking a deep breath and heading inwards.

"Now, keep all systems online and wait for me to restore the main power. I should have it online soon," Jake ordered.

They wished him good luck as he disappeared inside, the pool door closing with a screeching sound.

He glided down the aqua tunnel, remembering the last time he was there. It wasn't the highlight of the hour, plus he nearly ended up getting eaten by something. But holding his gun above the water gave him the sense of power and protection.

This time the aqua tunnel was under control with the lights brightly on, removing the spooky feeling Jake felt before. With the lights fully on, he could clearly see anything that tried to sneak up on him. Slowly, he walked down the brightly lit waterway. He felt significantly safer since he could clearly see right down to the end.

"Man, I'll turn into a fish if I stay in here too long," he said, trying to break the silence of the area.

He appeared at the junction again, trying to remember which passageway led to the generator room.

Then it happened again. He got a burning sensation on the back of his neck and could hear a slight tone of breathing coming from behind.

He knew it's behind him. He clutched his gun with confidence, knowing he could clearly see the whole place. "Nothing is going to eat me today!" he thought to himself as he immediately spun in place, holding the gun in a straight line from his eyes to the target: the creature's head.

Holding the gun at point blank range, Jake felt pumped up and ready to go. Still frightened at what this creature might be, he took no chances and held his weapon firmly.

The scene was set. He had his gun pointed at this creature's head, which could be seen halfway out of the water. Jakes arm was perfectly level, ready to kill it as soon as it twitches.

There was a sudden calm as a moment passed. Jake's initial breathing was hard, but as things calmed down he started to breathe slower. The adrenaline and panic he was feeling about being eaten or hurt slowly began to disappear when he saw the creature.

As he looked at the creature, it suddenly dawned on him that this was one of Zorndyke's creations that managed to sneak onto his vessel. He could not help it; his eyes just wandered all over what he could see, frozen by her cuteness and beauty.

He found the black, diamond-shaped mark on her forehead and her long, pointy, brown and yellow ears very attractive.

She looked at him in an innocent and passionate way that slowly began to draw weight on his arm, making the gun seem heavy and unnecessary.

Jake looked at the gun. He could feel the young woman start to become frightened at the weapon, so in response to her actions he lowered it into the water and placed it behind him.

Jake could not help but notice the sweet and approachable aroma emanating from her. Jake always thought that these creatures would smell like fish. However, he was pleasantly surprised because this was not the case; her smell couldn't be described, but it was a safe and comfortable.

They both looked at each other with deep interest. The young, aquatic female continually moved her pale yellow and black webbed hands in the water. She looked at Jake with fascination because her sister Mutio often talked about the human she has been with, the times they had together, and the feelings they had for each other.

Jake also had his own personal interests in a creature like this. Although he has never come face to face with one, just those damn robots. This was the first and very pleasant surprise. Not only this, SHE WAS ON HIS BOAT!

Jake did not know what to do. "Why is this creature on my boat? What is it? Is it one of Zorndyke's creations? How and why is she here? It must be one of Zorndyke's creations," he thought to himself. His mind was blank and void except for the thoughts about this creature that looked at him with cute, puppy dog eyes.

The woman then dipped her head deeper into the water, creating a cute and pleasant sound and adding to her allure.

Jake heard a rumbling sound coming from the creature. The sound was slightly distorted by the water; however, he knew what it was.

Jake placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out the apple. He slowly stretched his hand out to the female as a suggestion of harmony and goodwill. He was captivated by her beauty and could not help but do this for her, why and for what reason he had no idea.

She was slightly startled by Jake's sudden movement and that prompted him to take extra care. The creature seemed even more scared then he was. Moving his hand slowly, the apple appeared out from under the water. The female recognised the fruit and her eyes opened up in excitement. By doing this, she lifted her face right out of the water, showing Jake even more of her exotic and aquatic beauty.

Captivated by her, Jakes mouth dropped open as he saw more of her body out of the water.

The graceful aquatic beauty then began to eat the apple. As she munched on the fruit, she looked at Jake with her blue eyes, almost melting his heart.

He asked, "Was it you that attacked me before?"

She stopped eating the fruit and looked at Jake. She moved her eyes down towards the wound she had created and she did not understand why this human didn't kill her. She felt an overwhelming guilt and pain for hurting him, which created a tear in her eye.

Suddenly, the whole vessel moved, causing the water to sway to the side, causing them to fall over.

As Jake regained his balance after falling over, he spotted the aquatic beauty swimming off down the aqua tunnel. He stood up and looked at her gracefully swimming away with her fins stretched out and in a manner only a creature from the water can. He tried to call her back, but it was pointless and he was interrupted by a call from the generator room.

He could not get over the shock of seeing her. The image that burned into his mind was so intense he remembered everything: every line, every curve.

"It must be one of those aquatic hybrid girls the people talk about," Jake thought to himself. He was always interested in them and now meeting one face to face sparked his interest even further. Jake didn't have any idea what they looked like before and now after seeing one, the scale of beauty cannot be measured. It was a jumble and a mess, the fascination was not really there but he did wonder. But seeing one for the first time produced a kind of love for the creature that crept up on him without warning.

His heart was racing for no reason. "WOW!" he thought. Then, "Damn, the generator room."

-o-

Kino piloted the Grampus around the bottom of the sea, getting a little overexcited by it. "Wow, this thing is amazing; so fast and very manoeuvrable. I wonder how it performs when I transform?"

Hayami immediately interrupted Kino, "You can't transform at this depth. Are you crazy? The pressure will crush us."

He sat in the back of the Grampus, throwing spiteful thoughts at her for even thinking about the idea. He then looked into the dark void of the ocean, pondering a few thoughts through his mind.

"Hey! Wake up," said Kino, who noticed that Hayami was daydreaming. "Are you going to start the survey on the area or do you want to carry on sleeping?"

Hayami leered at her for a moment and then proceeded on taking readings; he was not in the mood for all this right now and he could feel himself waiting for something. The friends he lost, the wars he fought, and even the men he killed had sucked all the life and soul out of him.

Kino could not help it anymore. She had to ask the question; a question that had been burning on the back of her mind for a long time and now it seemed to be the perfect opportunity for her to say it. "Hayami, I was thinking!"

As she said the first few words, Hayami's face began to portray a small smile at her comment; it was something that she would not normally say. However, as she carried on, Hayami continued to daydream. "When the ship is back up and running or when we get to blue base, do you want to have dinner with me?"

Hayami took his eyes of his controls and looked at her. He noticed a small sweat droplet fall from Kino's red hair and onto her wetsuit. He didn't think much of it at first and decided on an answer without much thought. "Yeah sure, why not?"

After all the work she has gone through, all the labour of trying to get Hayami to open up, Kino released a much needed smile at her current victory in asking Hayami out on a date.

-o-

Jake walked into the generator room, which was a mess. Pipes were all over the place and large metal walkways portrayed a massive room with a support beam that had fallen onto the main drive shaft.

Massive generators could be seen in the background with the drive shaft leading to them. However, because the support beam was leaning on the drive shaft, it couldn't transfer the engine's power to the generators.

"OK, is everyone OK?" Jake asked with a reply of 'yes' from everyone.

"Right. I need a few strong men to get the chains and wench from over there and place it up on this bulkhead. We are going to remove this."

Jake got to work trying to solve the pressing problem of power. Without power there would be no air, no heat, and no lights and they would be dead soon because the emergency generators were rapidly running out of fuel.

The chains went around the bulkhead and under the support beam. The wench was used to allow the support beam to be lifted away from the drive shaft, which was their life force on this vessel.

With a few tugs on the chain they managed to move the support beam of the drive shaft. Then Jake ordered them to weld the support beam into a temporary position until they got to blue base.

"OK, disconnect the generators from the grid, and activate the shaft," Jake said, getting away from the drive shaft, hoping and praying that the only thing damaged was the beam leaning on it.

"Activating drive shaft torque now!" shouted the engineer, moving a massive rig that connected the drive shaft plates together from the other plate that was rotating.

Suddenly, the massive shaft the size of two men began to rotate slowly.

The turning got faster and faster as the device went up gears to its peak speed and the shaft began to spin rapidly.

"OK, connect the generators to the shaft in parallel and prepare to throw the main switch," he said, looking at the six, two-story power generators waiting in the background with an ominous sense to them. Then there was a sudden whoosh of sound as each of the six generators came online, drawing their energy from the drive shaft.

"All generators are spun up, commander!" said the engineer beside the generators.

"OK, hit the main bus switch," ordered Jake.

One of the engineers pumped up the pressure switch to get charge before pressing a small green button on the huge control panel. With a massive relay click that echoed through the room and over the noise of the generators, the fading lights soon lit up to their peak efficiency and all the systems started to come online.

Messages came from the control centre: "Captain, you did it! All systems are coming online, we are getting radar readings, and life support is coming back online. Heating systems are also online too."

Jake was relived that all the systems were online and he thanked everyone for a job well done. A few calls came back saying the door to the control centre was open again. However, they've got some bad news. The engines were not working; they were motionless.

-o-

Hayami and Kino got a sudden shock when the whole area lit up as all the floodlights came back online.

"Look they are back online!" said Kino.

Hayami looked at the vessel and said to himself, "Typical, now I have to have dinner with her."

Jake ordered Hayami and Kino back to the vessel after they finished their surveys.

-o-

Jake went onto the control centre to see how all the systems were performing. "Captain, the main control cable to the engines has been severed. However, all other systems are operating perfectly," relayed the second in command.

Jake looked through the window before saying, "Well, we cannot stay at the bottom of the ocean. Let's rise to the surface!"


	7. Chapter 7, Surface

Chapter beta read by: **akiqueen**  
Story updated on: - **12/04/2010**

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****Chapter 7** (Surface)

Jake was in a world of bliss. Sitting in his chair, he pondered over the events that had happened in the waterway. The stinging bite marks on his chest that had yet to be treated reminded him of the strange and beautiful creature he had come in contact with; it was something that would alter him for the rest of his life. Slowly returning back to reality, he turned his head around and said, "Helm, blow the ballast tanks forward and back. However, remember we have a Musuca attached to the front of the hull so be gentle!"

The crew responded with swift response and the sound of air filling the tanks caused the submarine to creak and crank as if the vessel wanted to float to the surface.

It didn't take long for Hayami to walk into the control centre with some information on their current situation. However, being the man that he is and not following protocol, he blindly said, "Jake," when he should have called him by his proper rank. Command protocol was clearly not being followed and Jake didn't want Hayami to treat him with disrespect in front of his crew. He was not happy.

Jake turned his head and raised his eyebrow, a slight tone of anger sneaking into his voice. "Yes?"

"I've seen large amounts of rubble on the top of this vessel that will anchor us down. We will need to clear it before we can rise to the surface."

Jake scanned the expressions of his command crew. He still did not trust Hayami point of view, not yet.

"He's right, commander, we are stuck," a crewmember responded.

Jake had to think of something fast. It was clear that this vessel was currently trapped on the seabed and they could not stay there. Other crewmembers suggested that additional force would be sufficient to allow the sub to rise. With that information in mind, he then remembered that this type of submarine was equipped with downward and upward propellers, located on the wings and different parts of the vessel. These should provide the necessary force. So with a brief and steady command, he ordered to activate them in full power.

_Let's hope they can add the power and get us moving,_ he thought.

The propellers at the ends of the wings sprang to life, creating a downward flow of seawater, which displaced all the sand and dirt from the ocean floor. As the rest of the propellers came online, the whole submarine slowly disappeared in a cloud of dirt and sand.

The force slowly started to lift the submarine and the mountain of debris on top of it upwards.

"Helm, give us a ninety degree down trim and flood rear ballast tanks." Jake held onto his chair as everyone prepared for the tilt.

The Deep Sea Six began to lift off of the ocean floor at a painfully slow speed. With the nose rising fast, the rear of the vessel sank, causing the submarine to rise at a ninety-degree angle. The rubble slid off of the hull, leaving a dirty, grey cloud of dust. The sub increased its ascent at rapid speed.

As the speed rapidly increased, it was obvious that it needed to be regulated. If the sub appeared on the surface too fast, half the vessel would be out of water and could rupture under the tremendous strain and weight.

The vessel, under the control of the crew, finally began to even out and ascend steadily to the surface, leaving a trail of water from the downward props.

"Everyone OK?" Jake questioned, looking around as his crew fumbled around, trying to straighten themselves out.

"You know captain, I didn't know a boat this size can ascend ninety-degree like this!" The officer on watch shrugged the water of his hair and straightened his uniform; he seemed more shocked than all the other crewmembers. Jake knew his second in command 'forgot' to read the ship's manual about rapid ascent and did not fall to his bait.

"There's a lot I do not know too." Jake spotted Hayami in the background, recovering from his initial blunder as he stumbled and fell over; the assent had made everyone queasy.

Then, after only a few seconds that seemed like hours, the ship shook violently. The bridge crew scurried around, trying to explain the situation, before someone shouted through the background noise.

"Captain, the Musuca is waking up. It is trying to break free!"

"OK, everyone remain calm, helm set us at a reasonable angle to allow the creature to free itself… The Musuca is waking up and probably pissed off, so give it all the room it needs." Jake sat on his chair and clenched the armrest. The creature was awake and he hoped the creature would swim off and leave them alone. _The seas are getting crowded today._

The submarine drifted at an angle, allowing the creature to glide of like butter from a warm knife and Jake looked through the small view screen with high hopes.

However, Jake's hopes were not listened to as incomprehensible clicking sounds engulfed them like a tomb.

"Captain, the Musuca is charging itis sonic weapon!" exclaimed the sonar operator.

"WHAT?" Jake demanded, with Hayami coming closer to him.

Then a voice bellowed out from all the panic that was in the room, "Jake, that thing is going to attack us, we need to shoot it now!" Kino rushed in without permission, pushing back the officer at watch. She highlighted the destructive force of the creature and demanded they attack it now. Jake did not want to take such drastic action.

"I'm not going to make that kind of decision at the moment." Jake squinted his eyes, trying to find a way out of this situation that did not involve the death of the creature. He could tilt the balance of peace and start a real war if he opened fire and killed the Musuca.

"Torpedo room, load stinger torpedo into tube one. Defensive systems, activate the anti-sonic shield." He swivelled his chair and made an all-ship broadcast. "All crew, prepare for impact and evasive movements."

With a few confirmations, everyone was prepared for the attack.

"The Musuca is reaching its peak… It's discharging." Nervous, the sonar operator was fixated to his screen as the faint green dot slowly approached the vessel. He had no idea how a ship this size and the new defensive shield would hold out.

"Sonar, ping the interceptor and activate the counter wave." Jake stood up; somehow, sitting was not right for this moment as the adrenaline rushed through his body like a high-pressure water system.

Jake activated the intercom again and announced. "Everyone stand away from the bulkheads; the shockwaves will snap your spine if you are leaning on them. Prepare for impact."

He then diverted his attention to the sonar operator. "Sonar, ping the incoming wave _now._"

The Musuca sent a spherical sonic wave in all directions, which headed for the Deep Sea Six. In response, the submarine then launched a ping in the water in the form of bubbles that flowed in the direction of the sonic wave. When the wave hit the bubbles, the sub then sent its counter wave that dampened the effect of the Musuca's weapon.

"Captain, the Musuca is charging for another attack."

The ship shook with the effect of the first wave, which did not cause any major damage. However, the unruffled Musuca drifted towards the submarine to get a more direct hit.

"Torpedo room, fire tube one," Jake ordered.

The torpedo launched into the water towards the Musuca and, like a bird, the creature banked to the left and dodged the cylindrical device. The Musuca seemed to smile at the human stupidity as Jake watched on the view screen.

The missile swam passed the Musuca with a slight feel of failure. However, the missile turned around in the open sea and headed right back. Now Jake was smiling. The missile hit the Musuca with an explosion that was accompanied by a loud, sonic burst and a high voltage electric discharge, causing the Musuca to run into the darkness of the ocean.

Stunned and recovering, Hayami walked up to Jake. "What was that?"

"It's a stinger missile and it causes temporary pain that basically makes them run away!" Jake carried on with a sarcastic tone. "The British don't want to be responsible for starting another war."

Kino flowed out with negative comments. She hated the creatures and wanted them all destroyed. _Why did this British captain scare it away? What's the point?_

Jake held his frustration with this annoying brat and replied calmly, "We invaded the creature's territory and probably injured it. The Musuca was probably trying to defend itself and it did not damage _my_ vessel. Now leave the command deck, _now_."

Kino lost ground but carried on her battle of words; she flared up her tomboy attitude and gave it all she could. But Hayami dragged her back before they both got kicked off of the sub.

-o-

The ship smashed through the surface of the water and floated on the top, covering the whole area with its sheer size and shape. The darkness and rain hid the endless ocean from sight. The vibration created by arriving at the surface informed everyone that they were safe.

Jake looked through the window on the control centre at the windswept ocean. The small storm brought rain and the moon tried to break through the cloud cover as specks of light lit up the rain and waves.

"OK, Let's go outside and see the damage."

-o-

A few moments passed as Jake stood on the hull of the ship, looking at the massive tear ripping through part of the wing.

"Shit, if I was a praying man I'd start by now!" He bent down, looking at the cables that sparked and shorted out. "Looks like we are unable to go anywhere."

Jake looked at Hayami with a disappointing look. "You do know what this means?"

Hayami then looked at Jake, who wiped the water from his face. He could not wait hours so he replied fast. "What?"

Jake replied with a slightly embarrassed tone. "We'll need a tow into blue base." He then leaned on the mast and held his head low. "I can only imagine the stick we're going to get from this!"

Kino, who was standing in the background, could not help but burst out laughing. "The famous British sub needs a tow into blue base; that's one I need to remember."

Then to make matters worse and with perfect timing, Blue Submarine No. 6 drifted to Jake's location. Lights pealed through the rain and light fog, startling everyone.

"So! You need a tow?" Tokuhiro Iga asked with a slight grin on his face. He'd been monitoring their activities for the past hour and decided to appear to 'lend a helping hand'.

All his crew stood on the deck of the Blue Sub, grinning and laughing, at the English vessel that was stranded in the middle of the ocean.

Jake lowered his head. "Shit, they will never let this down!"

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This is the end of **Part One**.

To continue the adventure please read parts** two, three** and **four**.

**Author note: -**

Don't forget to review this part of the story and let me know what you think.

Thanks,  
Shane


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